Child of the Darkness
by i've gone slightly mad
Summary: Nothing could make Nico go on a quest to save the world, persuade him to sprint off into danger and probably death to save the useless arses of the selfish, petty Olympian gods. Not glory, not immortality, not a comfy chair in Elysium. But then the Fates rock up at his door, and it turns out there might be a certain blond Superman he's willing to risk it all for. Jason/Nico. Slash.
1. House Guests

_Disclaimer: Don't own any of this etc. No profit being made._

**Author's note: **New story, new fandom. Not really sure how far this one is going to go, but I've got a few ideas sketched out and I've been thinking of writing something along these lines for a while. Think there's a slight dearth of PJ Slash stories in general, and particularly PJ Slash without Dom/Sub or Alpha/Omega elements. Hopefully this is part of the solution.

* * *

-Chapter One-

* * *

'Who the fuck are you?'

The disturbingly attractive and almost naked man standing on his rug stared at him.

'Who am I?' He asked incredulously. 'You don't recognise me?'

'No.' Nico replied, eyeing the man's flawless body appreciatively. 'I definitely didn't order a prostitute.'

The man blinked a few times, and the unearthly glow emanating from his skin seemed to flicker with annoyance.

'I am Apollo, God of the Sun, of Light and Truth and Knowledge.' He announced indignantly. 'Ruler over the realms of Poetry, Knowledge, Healing and Prophecy.'

'Fuck me.' Nico muttered, dropping his head into his hands.

'I am not a prostitute!' The god of the sun exclaimed, snapping one of the strings of his golden lyre.

'Then why have you broken into my house?' Nico asked.

The god ran a hand through his thick golden locks, the taut muscles of his stomach rippling tantalisingly under his gleaming skin. He looked slightly exasperated, but took a breath and drew himself to his full height.

'I come to you at the behest of the Fates themselves!' He announced, spreading his arms. 'Sent to summon you on a quest to determine the fate of all mankind!'

'Wonderful.' Nico replied drily.

'Isn't it!' Apollo replied, grinning and blinding Nico with his teeth.

'You're really bright.' He commented, narrowing his eyes.

'Thanks!' Apollo replied. 'I'm the god of knowledge, so it sort of goes with the territory.' He frowned. 'Athena doesn't think so, of course, but she's just stuck up. I mean, what even is 'wisdom'? Socrates is seriously overrated.'

'No, I meant bright, as in, like, you're about to burn my eyeballs out.' Nico said, wincing and lifting his arm to shield himself.

'Oh, right! Sorry.'

The glare dimmed somewhat.

'I get carried away sometimes.' The god of the sun admitted. He paused and examined Nico. 'Wow. My uncle did well with you.' He commented, before hesitating. 'You know, if you want to have sex…'

Nico stilled. Was Apollo, god of all that random crap, but also the hottest guy he'd ever seen, like hot beyond his wildest fantasies and filthiest dreams, genuinely offering to sleep with him?'

'Umm,' he began. He could feel his cock twitching in his jeans.

'Hmm, better not, actually. We're not supposed to sleep with demigods.' Apollo said before Nico could continue. 'Dad would probably castrate me.' He winced slightly at the thought.

Nico didn't know whether he was relieved or disappointed.

'Why are you here?' He asked, kind of exasperated.

Apollo frowned.

'I told you. The Fates have sent me—'

'To summon me to go on a quest.' Nico finished. 'End of the world, death of mankind, all the usual bullshit.'

'The usual bullshit?' Apollo echoed, confused.

'Why do you think I live in England?' Nico asked the god, leaning forwards.

Apollo frowned.

'Well, Uncles Hades put you here to hide from dad, obviously.' He replied. 'But don't worry about that; he and Uncle Poseidon have been sleeping with mortals as well. Anyway, you're kind of necessary for this quest, so I don't think he'll send a lightning storm to blow up your plane or anything.'

'What plane?'

Apollo looked at him as though he was stupid.

'The plane that's going to take you to Camp Half-Blood, of course. I'd take you in my chariot, but the last demigod I took over the ocean in it fell out and drowned.'

'Umm, I'm not going to Camp Half-whatever.' Nico told him, dropping back into the soft cushions of his sofa.

'But that's where the quest is going to start.' Apollo replied, eyes wide and innocent. 'And I've come up with a really good prophecy for my oracle. I can even give you a preview, if you'd like?' He offered eagerly.

'Yeah, no thanks. I'm not really one for prophecies. I'm pretty happy where I am, to be honest. You'll just have to find another demigod to persuade to risk their life to save you from your own stupidity.'

'My own stupidity?' Apollo exclaimed, looking indignant. 'It's not my fault!'

'Really?' Nico asked. 'Who have the gods managed to piss off this time? Did your dad not get the message when Kronos nearly managed to chop off his balls and feed them to him?'

Apollo seemed confused.

'Message?'

'Yeah. Like the 'OLYMPUS IS FULL OF DICKS' one, all in big capital letters.'

'Olympus is not full of dicks.' The sun god replied petulantly, looking offended.

'I'm pretty sure one of the biggest signs of being a dick is the inability to recognise the fact that you are.' Nico observed.

Apollo seemed to consider that for a moment, before shaking his head as though to free it from such a strange idea.

'Olympus is awesome!' He exclaimed. 'I do concerts and poetry readings on the weekends.' He frowned again. 'Dad won't let me do them during the week.'

'I honestly don't give a shit.'

Apollo looked offended.

'You haven't heard me play.' He strummed the remaining strings of his lyre.

'We both know you've got nothing on Orpheus.'

In a flash the sunny-tempered god was gone. He seemed to grow a foot in height, and the gentle glow beneath his skin expanded, brightening until it looked like tongues of angry flame were writhing within the muscular flesh.

'Do not speak his name!' Apollo boomed. The room around them shook, its expensive furnishings apparently in imminent danger of destruction.

'Why not?' Nico asked, sprawling back casually. 'Can't bear to admit that a mortal might actually be better than you?'

The lyre of the god of music melted, dripping liquid gold onto the thick Persian carpet.

'That was really expensive.' Nico mourned, watching the ruined rug smoke. When a flame erupted, he stretched out to smother the fire with a tendril of shadow.

Apollo jerked away when it caught his foot.

'Urgh. That tickles.' He said, rage disappearing in an instant.

Nico rolled his eyes at the fickle god, wishing he would leave.

'So!' The sun god continued cheerfully. 'Camp Half-Blood will be expecting you at the end of the month!'

He looked like he was about to vanish, but Nico's unimpressed stare held him where he was.

'What part of our conversation has given you the impression that you should be expecting me?' He asked coolly.

'You're going to be part of a prophecy.' Apollo said slowly, as though explaining something to a toddler. 'You have been chosen! Honour and glory await you!' He paused. 'And if you happen to die bravely, then I'm sure your dad will fast-track you to Elysium.'

'Yeah, no thanks. I'm sure my dad has fucked someone else whose child you can go and try to kidnap and send to their death.'

At that moment the doorbell rang, startling both of them. Nico stood, and when he glanced at Apollo he was surprised to find the sun god looking pale. Nico brushed his way past him and made his way to the front door.

'Umm, hello?' He greeted. 'Can I help you ladies?' He asked politely, confronted by a trio of ancient-looking women dressed in brightly coloured raincoats and staring at him with dark, beady eyes. He felt suddenly uneasy.

'You can, young man.' Their leader told him. Her hair was almost completely white, her face a mass of wrinkles, and her jacket electric blue. Before he knew what was happening, she'd pushed past him into the hallway.

'Very nice.' She commented, looking inquisitively at the chequered stone floor and pale panelled walls. She began to unwind her scarf.

'Do you have tea?' Asked one of her companions as she, too, squeezed her way in and began stripping off.

Nico stood staring, a growing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach as he watched the three crones smear mud and leaves across his floor, hang their coats on his light fittings and drop their sopping wet gloves onto his gleaming hall table.

'I think so.' He managed to get out. His voice sounded thin, and he couldn't help but think it was ironic that he could face down a god without batting an eyelid, and then two minutes later find himself cowed by three women who looked like they'd staged a daring breakout from a nursing home. But then, of course, Apollo's strength was nothing compared to the power these three wielded.

Nico fled to the kitchen, leaving the pensioners to finish dirtying his hallway and making themselves at home. He leant against the worktop, closing his eyes and forcing himself to breathe slowly. _Stay calm, listen to them, hold it together, _he told himself. He began searching the cupboards for teabags, filling and flicking on the kettle with absent hands. Eventually, he found the box of Yorkshire Tea the lady who cleaned for him kept tucked away.

Five minutes later he reentered the sitting room with a tray of what he hoped was vaguely drinkable liquid and a packet of biscuits he'd also managed to steal from Tanya.

'Excellent!' Exclaimed the old lady who'd asked for tea, reaching out for a cup almost as soon as he'd put the tray down.

The strangeness of the scene struck Nico with new strength. It couldn't be often that an almost naked Greek god, the three Fates who dictated the future of the world and a teenager drank tea together in the sitting room of a Mayfair townhouse.

The pensioners were all sat together on a sofa, pressed together so tightly that they took up less than half the available space. Apollo was stood next to the empty hearth, leaning awkwardly on the mantelpiece and looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

'Nico di Angelo, son of—'

'Hades, God of Wealth and Dead People and Skeletons and Dark Corners and so on, yeah. Can we skip the introduction?'

The three Fates stared at him silently for a few moments, before their leader smiled.

'You have been summoned.' They announced together in a pretty creepy chorus.

'I've told him!' Apollo interjected, sounding like a slightly indignant child. Nico was hit again by how absolutely gorgeous he was, pouting and gleaming.

'And yet you have not persuaded him.' The middle Fate announced, her gaze not straying from Nico for an instant. Her companions had taken out their knitting, and sat on either side of her, needles clicking away at a fearsome rate as spools of purple and green wool flew through the air.

'I would have.' Apollo replied.

The middle Fate's eyes went cloudy for a moment.

'You would have failed.' She answered, gaze clearing. 'In one possible future you would have been asked to leave thirty four seconds after we arrived, in the other you would have had sex with him, attempted to make him immortal, and then been turned into a rabbit for a hundred years by Zeus for daring to sleep with a demigod.'

Whilst Nico's mind was struggling to move much beyond the thought of sex with a god and immortality, Apollo had gone white.

'You're really scary when you do that, you know.' He told the Fate, his voice shaking slightly.

She smiled and didn't answer.

'There are things beyond even our control.' She began, sounding almost annoyed by the idea. 'There are events we cannot force to come to pass. Your deciding to journey to Camp Half-Blood is one such example.'

Nico frowned, wondering why on earth he merited such freedom.

'And so we sent Apollo to ask you.' The Fate continued. 'To sleep with you, if necessary.'

'Made me wear my tightest loincloth.' The sun god muttered.

Nico prided himself on being difficult to embarrass, but the idea that the Fates had forced the god of the sun to dress up like an Ancient Greek gigolo and seduce him made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

'And then we saw that he would not succeed, so we decided to visit London ourselves.'

Nico, whose eyes kept straying against his will to that bloody loincloth, forced himself to concentrate.

'Hang on. You're here to persuade me to go to America and join this quest to save the world or something?' He asked.

The Fate nodded, apparently waiting for him to continue.

'But you can't force me? It isn't, like, written in the stars or anything?'

The Fate on the left looked up at the ceiling, as though staring through it to try and examine the constellations.

'No. We cannot force you, or punish you for refusing, or affect you negatively in any way for deciding not to involve yourself. In a very real sense, you are beyond our power.' She admitted, before returning to her knitting.

'So, are _you_ going to offer to sleep with me to get me to do what you want?' Nico asked, both amused and horrified by the prospect.

All three Fates looked at him suddenly, and he felt like they could see straight through his clothes as they inspected him.

'No.' The middle Fate admitted, and Nico's pride took a blow in spite of the fact that he'd have sprinted from the house had her response been anything else. 'We do not strike deals with demigods; they live and they die at our whim.'

A chill ran through Nico at the admission.

'But we are forced to negotiate with you, and so we will offer you the only thing valuable enough to make you accept.'

Nico felt confused. There was nothing that could tempt him to involve himself in the vicious, selfish games of the Olympian gods.

'Which is what?' He challenged.

'Your soulmate.' The response was delivered in an expressionless voice.

A jolt ran through Nico at the word, an alien surge of yearning so powerful he was almost surprised he didn't jerk out of his seat.

'My what?' He asked, attempting to scoff.

'Your soulmate.' The old woman repeated in the same tone. 'The other half of your heart. The solitary person ordained by the universe itself to be your partner, your equal, your everything.' She frowned. 'It sounds better in Greek.'

Nico's heart accelerated in his chest. He could feel the blood in his veins and the air in his lungs, the electric thrum of adrenaline pooling in his skull.

'Bloody Plato.' Apollo muttered. 'Should never have told mortals about the soulmate thing. Now they all run around looking for marriage and eternity rather than big cocks and wild parties.'

Nico couldn't help but think that Apollo would have absolutely no trouble finding big cocks and wild parties should the fancy take him.

'I don't believe you.' He told the Fates, though the words rang hollow somehow.

'You think we lie?' Their spokeswoman asked, sounding genuinely confused by the notion. She shook her head. 'Our power is immeasurable, the reach of our influence beyond mortal comprehension. We knit the strands of fate, weave the cloth of time itself.' She paused and drew a huge pair of iron scissors from her shapeless handbag. 'Cut the threads of life.' She finished solemnly. The great black blades snipped, and the purple yarn being worked on by one of her sisters broke off and fell. Nico eyed the curl of wool, wondering whose existence had been cut short.

'But we cannot lie.' The Fate finished.

* * *

'Get up, Seaweed Brain!'

Percy Jackson rolled over in bed and rubbed his face deeper into his pillow, silently praying that all annoying daughters of Athena were caught up in freak tidal waves and swept far away from the door of the Poseidon cabin.

The knocking did not let up, however, and he groaned, wincing as he opened his eyes only to have them blinded by the morning light.

'Coming!' He called, voice rough from sleep as he stumbled out from beneath his duvet and padded across the floor.

Annabeth looked disgustingly awake. Her honey-coloured hair was tied back in a ponytail and her bright orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt tucked neatly into her jean shorts. She seemed about to speak, but stopped and flushed. Percy was confused for a moment, before he glanced down and noticed that he was only wearing a pair of boxers.

'Umm, just a minute.' He mumbled, hastily backing away and pulling a pair of shorts from his chest of drawers.

Annabeth entered the cabin a cautious number of seconds later, and seemed relieved to find him pulling a matching camp t-shirt over his head.

'Hi.' He greeted, feeling slightly awkward. 'What's up?'

She rolled her eyes at him, and eyed the clothes strewn about the floor disapprovingly.

'There's going to be a meeting after lunch.' She told him.

Percy blinked.

'After lunch? Then why—'

'Lunch is now, Percy.' She told him.

He glanced out of the window, and saw the sun high in the sky outside, sparkling brilliantly on the waves.

'Umm. Oops.' He replied weakly. His stomach rumbled as he spoke, which earned him another glare.

'Come on.'

She caught his hand and yanked him after her. Percy blushed slightly at the contact, but she didn't seem to notice. The mess hall was almost full when they arrived, with at least three quarters of the hundred or so demigods currently in camp sitting around the tables.

He followed Annabeth mutely, helping himself to food and sliding a few potatoes into the brazier.

_Fates, no more quests please. _He wished silently, wondering whether praying directly to the weavers of destiny was more likely to have an effect than throwing food at his father.

'Let's sit here.' Annabeth announced, leading him to the Poseidon table. She let Percy sit first, knowing she needed his permission to perch in the realm of the Sea God.

'So, what's happening?' He asked around a mouthful of beef stew.

Annabeth wrinkled her nose at him slightly, but she replied.

'I don't know, really. Chiron told me to bring everyone for a head counsellors' meeting after lunch.'

'Do you think this has anything to do with the missing demigods?' Percy asked, after quickly swallowing his mouthful.

Annabeth shrugged.

'Maybe. I hope so.'

Summer had officially begun almost a month ago, and with July only a couple of days away not a single new demigod had arrived at camp. Everyone they'd expected from previous years, minus a few fatalities, had trickled in, but every face had been familiar. No one seemed to have any idea why no fresh blood had arrived, but it had become increasingly concerning as the weeks went past. Most of the head counsellors had led scouting parties around the boundaries of the camp, killing off all of the monsters that inevitably clustered there, waiting. It hadn't seemed to change the situation; if anything, there had been more monsters each and every time a new party had been sent out. Percy knew that Will was being worked to the bone patching up all the injuries, and that even members of the Ares cabin were now wary about straying beyond Thalia's pine tree alone.

'I think we're going on a quest.' Annabeth declared.

Percy just nodded. The time had long since passed when he would bother to question the daughter of Athena.

'Where do you reckon we'll end up this time?' He asked. He was hoping for somewhere with a beach.

Annabeth's eyes gleamed with a different vision, however.

'Rome.' She replied. 'Or maybe Paris.'

Percy's geography wasn't great, but he was pretty sure that neither of those cities was on the coast.

'You losers ready?'

Percy looked up to find the bulky form of Clarisse La Rue looming over the table. She was clearly ready for battle, with a leather chest plate and a wide belt bristling with weaponry.

'I think so.' Annabeth answered, standing.

The two of them followed the head of the Ares cabin as she stomped off across the grass towards the Big House. When they arrived, they found the meeting room already crowded with campers. Chiron stood at the head of the room, looking stern as he watched them slowly take their seats. Mr D loomed in a corner, slumped in a chair with a naiad dropping grapes carefully into his open mouth. The only real surprise for Percy was Apollo. The god of the sun stood next to Chiron, wearing his blond hair long and loosely tied back, like a surfer who'd just come from the sea. His bright green t-shirt, board shorts and flip flops only reinforced that impression. He was frowning, however, watching the doorway closely as people trickled in. He bit his lip, looking frustrated, when at last Clovis stumbled in, half-comatose, and shut the door behind him.

'Well, I think that's everyone.' Chiron began. 'Over to you, Lord Apollo.'

The god's disgruntled expression vanished, and he grinned brightly at the assembly.

'Hello campers!' He began cheerfully. 'I hope you're enjoying your summer! I've been letting my chariot linger over camp for the last few weeks to give you guys a bit more daytime!' He announced brightly.

'Now we know why the cabins have all had to buy thicker curtains.' Annabeth muttered to Percy.

'So, hope you enjoyed that.' Apollo said, looking slightly disappointed that he hadn't received a round of applause. 'Anyway…' He continued hastily when Chiron threw him a look, 'that's not really why I'm here. I have invited you all to share in a very special moment: the first official prophecy of the new Oracle of Delphi!'

A low murmur went around the assembly as Rachel Elizabeth Dare emerged from Chiron's shadow. Her long, curly red hair tumbled down around her shoulders and she wore a loose white dress that looked like something straight out of Ancient Greece. Percy grinned at his friend when her eyes darted over to him, and she smiled back nervously.

She cleared her throat and opened her mouth. A thin stream of green smoke issued from it, curling like a snake around her head and shoulders. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and strange. Percy still thought she was a lot less frightening than the previous Oracle had been, with her lack of trailing bandages and gentle smell of rot.

_Seven star-bound half-bloods shall answer the call,_

_Three from Olympian peaks, three from the Tiber's fall,_

_And the twice-blessed son of darkness at the heart of all._

_Between storm and blood and fire will the earth be caught,_

_With an oath, a bond, and a lovers' kiss the future bought,_

_And beneath the Doors of Death the last battle fought._

Apollo grinned.

'Wasn't that great?' He patted Rachel on the back. 'I'd go a little slower next time, though.' He advised her. 'Really get some gravitas in there, a sense of "the fate of the world hinges upon my words".'

His new oracle nodded weakly, the green smoke clearing. Percy noticed Apollo suddenly jerk upright, gaze fixed somewhere behind the semicircle of seated demigods. He craned his neck round to see what had caught the god's attention, but could only see an empty room.

'What does it mean?' Clarisse burst out.

'Well,' Annabeth began, leaning in and looking thoughtful. 'It's a quest, obviously, for seven demigods.' She frowned deeply. 'Hang on, Tiber's fall?'

Percy looked at her blankly.

'Like the season?' He offered.

The look she gave him in response made him feel like the stupidest child in the class, again.

'Like waterfall, I think.' She replied. 'The Tiber is the river Rome sits on.' She glanced around the group. 'Do we have any demigods from Italy?'

Everyone shook their heads.

'Hang on, Olympian peaks!' Annabeth exclaimed. 'None of us are from Greece either, so it must mean Greek demigods.'

Percy's eyes widened. He thought back to the strange sight of his father wearing an admiral's uniform, his green eyes stern and hard.

'So…' He began.

'It must mean Roman demigods.'

There was uproar. Everyone in the room starting talking at once, a mass of confusion and incredulity and, slowly, consideration. The eyes of the assembled half-bloods slowly drifted towards the only people in the room who would have the answers they sought.

Chiron's face remained impassive, but Percy couldn't help but notice that one of his hooves was nervously pawing the rough wooden boards of the floor. Apollo was easier to read. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, as though someone had just caught him doing something that he really shouldn't be and he was trying desperately to come up with a credible excuse.

'Lord Apollo.' Annabeth began sweetly, and Percy almost flinched, because it was the tone she used on him when he was in trouble. 'Would you be able to explain this to us?'

'Umm, I really should go.' The god of the sun began weakly, glancing round as though trying to work out where he'd parked the sun chariot.

'They're going to need to know eventually.' Chiron said suddenly. 'They've worked it out anyway.' He eyed Annabeth with what looked like respect.

'Fine.' Apollo didn't look happy. He stared at his audience. 'You have Roman cousins.' He announced, and before anyone could even think to open their mouth, he vanished in a burst of golden light.

Percy gaped at the empty space Apollo had just vacated.

After that, of course, the assembly turned on Chiron, who almost certainly knew the answers to all of their questions, but seemed completely unwilling to provide them.

'So we need to find three Roman demigods.' Annabeth announced eventually, in such a stern voice that the rest of the room fell silent. 'What about the three of us who are going on this quest? How do we choose them?'

Immediately, most of the eyes in the room turned to Percy. He held his hands up.

'Umm, someone else's turn?'

'Yes.' Clarisse agreed vehemently. Her hands were clenching and unclenching on thin air as though she was imagining wringing the necks of particularly scrawny monsters.

'Hang on, what about this dark guy?' Leo interjected suddenly. His gaze was weirdly intense for someone who was usually completely concentrated on things that existed only in his head.

'What was the line?' Annabeth asked.

'The twice-blessed son of darkness at the heart of all.' Rachel whispered, without the green smoke this time.

'Who the fuck is that?' Clarisse snorted.

'How about me?'

The head of every demigod in the room jerked round. Even Mr D sat upright, spitting a half-chewed grape from his mouth in surprise.

Percy watched, astonished, as a boy seemed to _unfold _from a shadow in the darkest corner of the room. The guy in question's eyes flicked round the assembly with something approaching amusement. Percy wasn't sure he liked the smirk playing about his perfect lips. _Hang on. _He thought to himself. _Perfect lips?_

Percy wasn't gay. To be honest, he'd never even thought about touching a cock that wasn't attached to his own body. But even he could see that this guy was smoking. Like, in the full sense of clothes-melting, underwear-throwing, where-the-hell-has-my-girlfriend-gone hot. Instinctively, he edged closer to Annabeth.

'Where the heck did you come from?'

The stranger's eyes turned to Clarisse.

'Take a guess.' He challenged, voice smooth and amused and…

'You're British?' Annabeth asked. Percy couldn't help but notice that she looked slightly flushed, and that her face reddened further when the boy's attention turned to her.

'I am.' He agreed, smiling slightly. He stalked forwards and draped himself over the empty chair next to Annabeth.

'How did you get in?' Clarisse demanded, unwilling to let go.

The stranger gestured carelessly, and Percy had to shake his gaze away from watching the play of muscles beneath the tattooed, tanned skin of his arm.

'There's only one door.' He observed.

Somehow, Percy was sure the guy hadn't come through it.

'Who are you?' Clarisse bit out, looking like she was about to pull a dagger.

'Can you tell us your name?' Chiron asked more politely, frowning disapprovingly at the daughter of Ares.

'Nico di Angelo.' The words rolled off his tongue.

'That doesn't sound British.' Clarisse accused.

'It's not.' The guy, Nico, replied carelessly. He didn't bother to explain.

'Umm, right, well, welcome, Nico.' Chiron said awkwardly. 'You say you think you might be involved in this prophecy?' He prompted.

'Well, seeing as Apollo came all the way to England to drag me here, I think there's a pretty good chance.' He commented.

Even Clarisse couldn't seem to come up with a response to that. Percy watched as her mouth closed on empty air a couple of times before she slumped back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

'So who's your godly parent?' Percy couldn't help but ask.

The new guy's attention turned to him, and Percy felt heat rising in his cheeks as the boy's eyes swept slowly down his body before returning to his face. He seemed about to speak, but then stilled and bowed his head slightly, as though deferring to someone. A moment later a gasp ran round the room, a strange collective exhalation of breath as the shadowy image of a high-crested Trojan helm appeared over the boy's head, revolving slowly for a few seconds before dissolving into mist.

'Hades.' Chiron muttered, and it half-sounded like a curse. His voice strengthened. 'Lord of the Underworld, The Rich One, The Silent One. Hail, Nico di Angelo, Son of the God of the Dead.'

Silence followed his words.

'Well, thanks for that.' Nico remarked drily. 'Does that mean I'm part of your scout troop now?'

Clarisse sputtered.

'Scout troop?' She demanded furiously.

The boy lifted a dark eyebrow.

'Yeah. Well, that's kind of what this is, isn't it?' He spread his arms, apparently trying to encompass the whole of Camp Half-Blood. 'The summer camp, the cabins, the camp fires.'

Percy felt slightly offended by this stranger coming in and mocking their world. He hadn't saved the world from Kronos, after all, had he? He hadn't risked his life time and again to protect Olympus.

'We are not a scout troop.' Clarisse ground out.

'I apologise.' Nico replied smoothly, not sounding remotely apologetic.

Chiron cleared his throat.

'Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Nico.' He announced formally. 'You may stay for as long as you wish. I am sure that space for you can be found in the Hermes cabin.'

The Stoll brothers grinned.

'Yeah.' They announced together. 'We can find him space.'

The new guy eyed the pair with vague curiosity, taking in their baggy orange t-shirts and cargo shorts.

'Does my father not have a cabin?' He asked casually.

An awkward silence fell. Percy wasn't really sure what to say. He'd won the right for every god to have their own cabin at camp at the end of the war, but no one had actually got around to constructing any of them.

'Well, we haven't had a child of Hades here for a very long time.' Chiron began carefully. 'So I am afraid that he does not have a designated cabin in the camp at the moment.'

'Well, I'll have to have one built then, won't I?' Nico asked, lips quirking. 'I wouldn't want to upset my dad.'

'No, of course not.' Chiron answered uncertainly, looking as though the very last thing he wanted to do was offend the god of the dead. 'If you need any help, I'm sure you can ask around. You're welcome to stay in the Hermes cabin until you've finished building, of course.'

'I think I'll stay in the city for now.'

'In New York?' Annabeth asked, disbelieving.

'You'll be dead by the morning.' Clarisse predicted, looking as though the prospect didn't upset her in the least.

'I think I'll be fine.' Came the calm response. 'When are we setting off on this quest?'

'We don't even know who's going yet.' Annabeth pointed out.

'I vote for Green Eyes, Smiley and Pixie.' Nico declared, nodding at Percy, Will, and Leo.

'Umm, what?' Will asked, looking startled.

'You three are the best looking.' Nico commented. 'If I'm being dragged off on a quest to save Olympus from the-gods-know-what fucking mess they've got themselves into this time then the least you can do is give me some eye candy.'

Another silence fell over the room. Percy was blushing furiously, Leo, for once, didn't look like he knew what to say, and even Will's cheeks had darkened as he eyed the new guy with surprise.

'You're gay?' Drew's question was shrill.

'Umm, yeah, sorry.' Nico answered, flashing her a brilliant smile. He eyed her briefly. 'Though if anyone could turn me, you'd be right up there.'

For once, the counsellor of the Aphrodite cabin seemed unsure of how to take a compliment.

'Thanks?' She offered eventually, sounding uncertain.

'So, if you guys want to work out who's going with me, then as soon as that's decided we can go and find some Romans.' Nico said, sliding to his feet and stretching. Percy, who was just getting over his blush, watched Annabeth go red in his place as several inches of insanely ripped abs were exposed.

'I'm gonna go find a hotel room.' Their newest sort-of campmate announced. 'I'll come back in the morning to get work started on my dad's cabin and see if you guys have made any decisions.'

With that, he strolled over to the door, and left.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought!**


	2. Definitely the Boy Scouts

_Disclaimer: Don't own any of this etc. No profit being made._

**Author's note: **Next chapter! Btw, thanks to the review who noticed the Orpheus/Oedipus mixup, that was embarrassing. Don't really have any excuse except absentmindedness, and to note that it might just have been the ultimate Freudian slip. Anyway, it's fixed now. Any other errors people pick up I'd be grateful to have highlighted.

* * *

-Chapter Two-

* * *

'What just happened?' Percy asked, shaking his head as he and Annabeth exited the Big House together. Chiron had dismissed them all shortly after the new guy had disappeared, instructing them all to tell their cabins about the prophecy and ordering a full-camp meeting that evening.

'Looks like you found yourself a boyfriend!'

Percy turned and glared at Connor Stoll, who grinned back unrepentantly.

'You should have offered to let him stay with you in the Poseidon cabin.' Travis Stoll suggested, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

'Ignore them.' Annabeth instructed, pulling him in the direction of the cabins.

The Stoll brothers stuck with them, and they were joined by Leo as they settled themselves on the grass around the remains of last night's campfire.

'So. A quest. A big one.'

'Not a quest, a prophecy.' Annabeth corrected Connor.

'Sounds like a quest to me.' The curly-haired boy replied cheerfully. 'We've gotta go find these Romans to start with. How cool is that? Dyou think they have like legions and those stupid robes and stuff?' He stood up and struck what he probably thought was the dignified pose of an emperor.

'They're called togas.' Annabeth told him. 'And I doubt it; we don't really dress up like Ancient Greeks, and why should they have legions if we don't have phalanxes?'

The Stoll brothers looked disappointed.

'Do you think they have a camp like ours?' Leo asked curiously, absently plaiting strands of grass together.

Annabeth frowned.

'Probably.' She decided eventually. 'If they're the children of our parents, just in their Roman forms, then the gods are likely to have set them up with their own camp somewhere. What I don't understand is why we don't know about them. Did you see Apollo? He clearly didn't want to tell us anything.'

Percy snorted.

'His oracle revealed them. He wrote the prophecy.' Percy pointed out.

'That's true.' Annabeth admitted, flashing him an approving look that made Percy want to roll over like a puppy.

'The gods must have been deliberately keeping us apart.' Annabeth decided.

'But now, for some reason, we have to work together?' Leo asked.

'Sounds like it.' Percy replied, slumping back to lie on the grass and stare up at the terrifying blue expanse of Zeus' domain.

'So three of us, three of them, and that British guy.' Travis said. 'Off to save the world.'

* * *

'Fuck.'

Nico punched the wall. And then again. Less than a minute later a small mound of broken plasterwork and splintered brick was lying on the carpet. He shook his hands, willing away the pain as he watched blood well from his knuckles, mixing with the dust on his skin.

He walked through to the bathroom of the suite he'd rented, brushing on the tap and watching the muck on his fingers disappear into the basin. He dried his hands, leaving a trail of pink across the fluffy white towel. He caught his own gaze in the big mirror and sneered at himself.

_Pathetic. You let yourself hope. Let yourself be seduced by an impossible promise, and now you're stuck in America on a ridiculous adventure in the service of the gods you hate._

Nico took dinner alone, as usual, brushing off the advances of the waitress. He wondered idly whether she'd have preferred the very generous tip he gave her or an invitation back to his room. Returning to his suite, he stopped outside the door, one hand on the handle. Something didn't feel quite right.

He allowed himself to melt into the narrow shadow at the bottom of the door, holding his breath as he condensed inside the bedroom. He blinked.

_Are those… sheep?_

Just then, one of the creatures turned towards him.

_That is not an ordinary sheep._

Its eyes were glowing red, and its yawning mouth was full of teeth that didn't look designed to chew grass. It took a few moments for it to notice him standing there, pressed against the door.

'BAAA!'

If he hadn't had a demonic ball of wool charging him, Nico would have laughed at the sound, which sounded like it could have come from a cartoon animal.

A minute or so later, Nico was standing in the middle of a two thousand dollar hotel room surrounded by dismembered chunks of mutton. He wiped his dagger on the fleece of one of the dead sheep before returning it to its sheath at the small of his back and eyeing the room. For some reason, the creatures hadn't dissolved in the usual shower of golden monster dust. They remained sheep, though Nico could feel the Mist knitting around their heads to make the corpses look less carnivorous to human eyes.

_This is gonna be a big bill._

He didn't dare imagine what housekeeping was gonna think when they turned up in the morning. They'd probably call the police. He supposed it was lucky he'd checked in under a random name and an anonymous credit card.

_Well, I'm not sleeping here tonight. _He thought, glancing regretfully at the enormous, bloodstained bed. _Suppose I'd better go and find another hotel to make a mess of._

* * *

The campfire had been lit, and the smell of woodsmoke curled up into the warm night air. Every demigod in Camp Half-Blood gathered in a chattering crowd, full from dinner but still fighting for space to poke marshmallows on sticks into the heat.

Leo sat closest, arms holding his legs to his chest, chin resting on his knees, mesmerised by the flames. The other cabins made jokes about the Hephaestus cabin's obsession with fire, but Leo couldn't understand how they, too, didn't find it an endless source of fascination. The power it had, to shape, to bend and break and burn. To melt and forge anew. Gods, even its Promethean power to wage war against the cold and darkness, to give humanity a defence against an unforgiving world.

He could feel the skin of his face flushing from the heat, but he basked in the warmth. It was reluctantly that he turned his attention away from the play of light and colour to focus on the new presence.

'Good evening, campers.'

Chiron's calm, deep voice rolled across the assembly. He looked ancient and strange in the darkness, caught between the orange glow of the fire and the shadows it cast. Leo was struck anew by how weird this world was, for all the familiarity he now had with it. He was a kid who'd killed his own mother, heard her screams as she was engulfed by the flames that had sprung from him and been twisted by a force beyond his control. He was a boy off the streets, who'd probably fled from every foster home in eastern Texas before ending up trapped behind the high walls of the Wilderness School, a kind of educational prison for young delinquents. Being rescued from a monster attack by a half-goat creature and dragged off to a summer camp full of the offspring of Greek Gods had turned his world completely on its head. He was happy here, though, and for the first time in years he had no impulse to escape from where he'd found himself. He still suffered from the nightmares that had tortured him ever since that night, the vision of the mechanic's shop burning, his own powerlessness to do anything, the bitter memory of a veiled, dark-robed woman who'd stood and watched the conflagration without lifting a finger to help. His arms curled tighter around his knees.

'I hope that your counsellors have had a chance to inform you about our meeting this afternoon, and of the prophecy given to us by the Oracle.' Chiron continued. 'This evening I announce a quest, and the person chosen to lead it will receive a new prophecy from the Oracle.'

'We've already got a prophecy!' Someone shouted from the crowd.

Chiron looked grim, and a finger of trepidation ran down Leo's spine.

'A Great Prophecy, declared by the Olympian Council.'

Leo couldn't tell whether the sound that erupted from the crowd was horrified or excited. Probably a mixture of the two. The last Great Prophecy had resulted in war, had brought death to many of their fellows. But demigods died all the time, and the Second Titanomachy, as it was now being called, had made Percy and his companions heroes. Leo knew that few of those around him didn't dream of great deeds, of winning the approval of their divine parents and a place, come their time, in Elysium.

It struck Leo that there were no shouts of confusion. Everyone present knew what the last Great Prophecy had been, had led to. It emphasised anew to him that there were no fresh faces in Camp Half-Blood. He wondered what had happened to all the demigods who must have been due to arrive. He assumed satyrs had been sent out to find them, but he'd seen hardly any of the creatures around camp in the previous couple of weeks. Maybe they were dead, bleeding out in a carpark somewhere next to the children they were supposed to be guiding.

'Hey.'

Leo shook his head free of his morbid thoughts as he turned to Percy. The son of the sea god had sprawled himself out on the grass next to him, the nearby demigods hastily clearing room for the hero of the war.

'Hi Percy.' Leo smiled at his friend, wondering whether he, too, wanted to be regarded with awe by his campmates. It might be nice, he thought, to have everyone's respect. Most of the camp put up with him and his weirdness, but he wasn't exactly a sword-wielding demon like Percy or Clarisse, or even brilliant at working things out like Annabeth. He could build things, fix things, even invent things, but that was about it.

'You know,' Percy began slowly, staring at the flames and avoiding his gaze. 'If I'm the one who ends up leading this stupid new quest, I think I'd like you to come too.'

'What?' The word was out of Leo's mouth before he could stop himself.

Percy looked slightly embarrassed. He pushed his hand awkwardly through his short brown hair.

'I mean, well, if you wanted to go on a quest of course, and, umm, if I'm the one who's gonna lead it.'

He didn't sound arrogant about the thought of being the chosen one, more resigned.

'Why would you want me?' After the words came out Leo cursed how pathetic he sounded.

Percy seemed surprised.

'Well, you're the only one around here who can keep up with Annabeth half the time and, I mean, you're a cool guy… it'd be good to have you there.'

Leo knew he'd kind of made friends with Percy since arriving at Camp Half-Blood, but he didn't think he'd grown that close to him… close enough to become the third member of his questing team with the girl he was clearly half in love with.

'Umm, thanks, I guess.' He offered quietly. He turned back to the fire, jumping slightly when Percy slapped him on the back and left, probably to go off and find Annabeth.

* * *

Leo woke up early the next morning. He could see the three other demigods he shared the Hephaestus cabin with still lying motionless in their bunks, illuminated by the blinking LEDs of the various hibernating screens and devices scattered around the room.

He made his way to the bathroom, the only part of the Hephaestus cabin that wasn't stacked with electronic equipment and strange-looking mechanical creatures. He showered quickly, rinsing the shampoo from his hair absently as he considered the brain surgery he was currently trying to attempt on the dismembered bronze dragon lying in the workshop. He'd discovered the creature curled around a big tree in the middle of the woods. It had looked kind of pathetic lying there, with its wings missing and its bronze skin tarnished by the rain and wind. He'd been told it had been the pet project of Charles Beckendorf, who'd died during the war. The dragon had apparently gone kind of crazy after that, before disappearing into the forest one night never to be seen again. To his automaton-loving heart, catching sight of the poor creature, abandoned and hibernating, had been like finding stray dog and discovering a unicorn in one. He'd been working for months to bring the great beast out of its long sleep, but its head was still a mess of wires.

Leo knew there was food somewhere in the workshop, so he ignored the mess hall and walked straight across the grass in the direction of the forest. The square brick building standing just in front of the line of trees looked like a miniature factory, with its smokestacks and massive doors and lack of windows. It seemed to have sprouted a new addition this morning. Leo didn't recognise the vaguely familiar seeming guy sprawled on the grass in front of the building until he looked up.

'Hey!'

'Umm, hi.' Leo stared at the guy who'd turned up yesterday, wondering what he was waiting outside the workshop for.

Leo tapped in the code on the keypad next the door as the guy, Nico, stood.

'Can I help you with something?' He asked as the electronic lock beeped its approval and the door clicked open.

'Well,' the new guy began, and Leo was suddenly aware of how close he was, could feel the heat of his body, 'I was hoping you'd be able to help me with some engineering.'

Leo stepped into the workshop hastily, trying to conceal his surprise. The boy behind him let out a low, impressed whistle as the fluorescent lights blinked on to reveal a large, warehouse-like space that looked like a weirdly well-organised steampunk scrapyard.

'Engineering?' Leo asked, relaxing slightly as the other boy followed him at a safer distance and the reassuring smell of oil filled his nose.

'Yeah. I asked around this morning and was told to find one of Hephaestus' children.' He grinned. 'So I waited outside the workshop, and now I've caught one.'

Leo shifted slightly uneasily.

'So, what do you need help with?'

'My dad's cabin.' The other boy admitted, shrugging. 'I can probably design something suitable, and get the materials and stuff, but I need someone who can work out how to keep everything from falling down.'

Leo frowned. He felt sort of flattered, but he wasn't sure he could help.

'I'm not really an engineer.' He admitted. 'I can fix things and work things out and stuff, but I've never done a building.' He looked up after a moment as the silence between them stretched. The other boy was wearing an easy smile.

'Well now's your chance.' Nico declared. 'I'll pay you, of course. My dad wouldn't want one of his children indebted to another demigod.'

Leo felt like he was being swept along, but he couldn't deny the idea of actually being paid for something appealed to him. He'd never had a real job before, and he supposed he'd need to earn money if he ever meant to set himself up outside Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

'You know, I might volunteer to lead the quest.'

Percy, sprawled out on the beach with the sound of the water lapping a few feet away, jerked out of his doze.

'You what?'

Annabeth sat cross-legged next to him with a book open in her lap. Probably about something incredibly boring. Or incomprehensible. Or both.

'I was saying I was considering asking Chiron to let me lead the quest.' She replied, looking slightly annoyed.

Percy groaned.

'Haven't we done enough?' He asked, slumping back against the sand.

Annabeth snapped her book shut.

'You don't have to come with me, you know. I might not even choose you.'

Percy's head was suddenly full of images of Annabeth with the hot British guy. Her sitting next to him on a bus, sharing a meal with him, a motel…

'I'm coming.' He told her.

* * *

'Come in!'

Annabeth took a deep breath before entering the Big House. She was startled to find Leo and Nico already in Chiron's office with the centaur.

'Umm, hi. Sorry, umm, I can come back later?' She said, gesturing towards the door.

'No, no, join us.' Chiron said, waving her over. 'I'm sure we'd be glad to have your opinion on this Annabeth.'

She could feel the weight of the new guy's stare on her as she approached. She brushed her hair self-consciously behind one ear as she leant over to examine the sheet of paper on the desk the room's occupants were surrounding.

'Did you do this?' She asked after a moment, looking up and finding her stare trapped by a pair of dark eyes.

He shrugged.

'Yeah. It's just a vague outline, of course…' He looked almost uncertain. 'I mean, Leo's going to work out the engineering stuff, and I should probably check with my dad to make sure he's ok with it.'

'This is really good.' Annabeth told him. Her eyes were drawn back to the blueprint in spite of the sight they'd been resting on. She hesitated. 'This is for Hades, right?'

Nico di Angelo's laugh was as flawless as the rest of him.

'Well, yeah, I suppose so, but it's mainly for me.' He smirked. 'Have you ever been to the Underworld?'

Annabeth nodded, shuddering a bit as she tried not to remember the days she'd spent in that awful, endless place.

Nico laughed again.

'Yeah, well then you should have some idea of why I'm not gonna pay much attention to what my father would want. I mean, his palace looks like the kind of place Dracula and Louis XIV would dream up together. I'm not even sure he didn't get the two of them to design it, to be honest.'

While Annabeth was still trying to get her head around that idea, Chiron focused on her.

'What can I do for you, Annabeth?'

She straightened, having almost forgotten what she'd come for.

'Well, I, I was…' she'd felt slightly nervous before coming in, and under the scrutiny of the only person who was actually already on the quest she was even more on edge. 'I want to lead the quest to find the Roman demigods.' She declared.

Chiron cocked an eyebrow.

'Do you?' He frowned. 'Clarisse has already visited this morning, asking to be chosen to take command.'

Annabeth blinked.

'You can't possibly be considering _Clarisse_?' She asked, horrified.

Chiron stared at her, as though inviting her to continue.

'I mean,' she added weakly, flushing slightly, 'I'm not sure Clarisse would be the best choice for the mission.'

'And why is that?' Chiron asked.

'Umm, well, she's not, I mean, she's not the most thinking person.' Annabeth answered, cursing how clumsy her words sounded.

'Perhaps not.' Chiron acknowledged. 'But she has led the Ares cabin well, and has a number of successful quests under her belt. She's well-respected, and one of the best fighters in the camp.'

_Unlike you. _Came the unspoken message.

'But this quest isn't going to be about fighting!' Annabeth exclaimed, unable to help herself. 'We need to find these Romans before we can do anything, and if you're not going to tell us where they are then I don't think Clarisse is going be able to work it out.'

She felt suddenly embarrassed as the three of them stared at her in silence for a moment.

'Hang on,' Nico began slowly, 'we're going on a quest to find the Roman demigods? I already know where they are.'

Even Chiron looked startled.

'You know…' Annabeth trailed off.

'Yeah.' Nico grinned. 'Don't worry though, I'd much rather you came than that other girl.'

'How… how do you know?' Chiron interjected suddenly.

Nico rolled his eyes.

'I've spent months in the Underworld. There are loads of Roman demigods down there.'

Annabeth felt simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Thinking about it last night, she'd had the idea of going to the Underworld to try and find some Romans. The prospect of not actually having to go back to that place was just about enough to make up for having her brilliant idea preempted.

'What I don't understand,' Nico continued, 'is why the gods insist on keeping us apart?'

Chiron looked uncomfortable, well, as uncomfortable as an immortal half-man half-horse could look.

'I am not supposed to talk about it.' He said firmly, before sighing. 'As for who leads the quest, I have decided how we will work out who will be chosen.'

Annabeth didn't need him to continue. There was only one way disputes were resolved at Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

'Are you sure you're not the Boy Scouts?'

Annabeth glared at Nico, who was standing at the edge of the forest with a slightly mocking expression on his face. He looked annoyingly perfect, with his white t-shirt stretched over his well-muscled chest and shoulders and his dark hair artfully tousled.

'This is serious.' She told him. 'If my team doesn't win then you're going to be stuck with Clarisse, and I'm not going to get to meet any Romans.'

Nico nodded seriously.

'Those are very good points.'

'Are you making fun of me?' Annabeth asked suspiciously.

Nico's lips twitched.

'Maybe.' He admitted. 'So, where's the best place to watch this thing from?'

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him evilly.

'It's a camp rule that every demigod who isn't injured has to take part in Capture the Flag.' She made a show of scanning him for wounds, and couldn't help it when her gaze lingered.

Nico lifted an eyebrow.

'I'm not sure that's gonna work. If I have to go on a quest with the winner, then there's a chance I fought against them in the game. It's not exactly going to help us make friends.' He pointed out.

Annabeth had spent the morning plotting and, having decided she wanted Nico on her side, had anticipated his objection.

'But surely a team with you on it wouldn't be in any danger of losing…' she suggested, letting the words hang there.

Nico smiled and stepped closer.

'Of course not.' He told her, looking amused. 'Well played.'

Percy coughed from a few yards away. Nico glanced across at him.

'Gay, remember?'

Percy blushed and Nico's chuckle filled the air, before vanishing.

'What?' Annabeth bit her lip at how stupid her exclamation had been, but she didn't regret the sentiment as she stared at the space that a mere second before had contained an unfairly attractive son of Hades.

'Maybe he has something like my invisibility cap.' She surmised. 'Are you still there?' She demanded, frowning at the air. A few moments of silence passed before she began to feel foolish.

'So what's the plan?' Percy asked eventually.

* * *

It had started raining. Clarisse, standing in a thicket at the head of a heavily-armed group of her soldiers, glared suspiciously at the falling water. It was bound to be some trick from that useless Trident-spawn. She didn't have much choice, though. Her attack had been planned out in meticulous detail, and even now half a dozen Apollo campers would be showering the river crossing near where the enemy had positioned their flag with blunted arrows. Hopefully that not-so-clever daughter of Athena would underestimate them and think that Clarisse was trying to clear a path in order to attack from that direction.

She crouched beneath the leaves and drizzle, though, waiting for the signal.

'When—'

Brett, a pugnacious but none-too bright sibling of hers yelped slightly as her hand clamped over his mouth. They were probably a hundred yards from where Clarisse could see the enemy flag and its two guards standing on their rotting tree stump, but she wasn't going to take any risks.

Just as Clarisse was beginning to consider releasing Brett, the two guards next to the flag started shouting.

'Get ready!' She ground out to the campers clustered at her back, gripping her electric spear more tightly.

A flaming arrow arced high into the sky overhead, trailing sparks before plummeting somewhere into the depths of the sodden forest.

'Go!' Clarisse roared, jumping to her feet and charging towards her target, weapon raised. Half a dozen of the Ares cabin's toughest fighters surged after her, roaring their battle cries. Her feet slipped on the newly formed mud in a couple of places, and she cursed Percy Jackson in her head as they drew closer to the massive stump. She'd hoped the two demigods guarding the flag would have abandoned it to help their allies wrestling in the river. They'd stayed faithfully at their posts, but a daughter of Ares was never one to balk at a fight, particularly one that pitted seven battle-scarred children of the god of war against two sons of Demeter who looked like they'd much rather be gardening.

Clarisse, even encumbered by her spear and bulky armour, scaled the chest-high side of the tree stump in seconds and lowered her spear at her opponents. Its barbed iron tip crackled threateningly, bolts of red static jumping between the points.

The sons of Demeter, who were both at least a couple of years younger than Clarisse, glanced nervously at one another before hefting their swords.

She advanced, frowning as she noticed one of them muttering what sounded like a prayer. His sword didn't move to block her as she raised her spear to his neck.

'Drop it.' She growled. She jerked back with surprise as her own weapon hit the ground at the same time as his.

'Where are you?' She demanded, yanking a knife from her belt and waving it around threateningly as she caught a strong smell of fruit in her nostrils.

'Bah!' She coughed and spat as a soft, wet object made contact with her face. She jerked out of the way just in time as another peach sailed through the air, but she could hear it make contact with one of the guys behind her.

'Enough of this!' She roared, storming forwards and grabbing the smaller of the two demigods in front of her, completely ignoring the sword he was still holding. She pinned his arms to his sides and gripped his wrist until he squeaked slightly and dropped his weapon.

'Fuck off.' She bit out, addressing the nature spirit she knew must be hovering nearby. 'Now!' She pressed her dagger to her captive's throat, and was satisfied to hear a feminine squeal and watch as a basket of overripe fruit appeared out of thin air and fell to the ground.

'Take him.' She ordered, shoving her prisoner into Brett's arms before grasping the owl-blazoned blue flag flapping miserably on its pole and yanking it out of the tree stump. 'Grab the other one and let's go!'

Clarisse grinned viciously when they returned to the cover of the trees, prizes in tow. They moved as quickly as they could over the treacherous, root-snarled terrain, dragging their captives. They'd almost made their way back to the boundary of the Ares team's half of the forest when a terrifying howl filled their ears.

'Zeus' hairy bollocks!' One of her group exclaimed from behind her. Clarisse jerked round to find the largest hellhound she'd ever seen emerging from the trees. Her head would barely come up to its shoulder, and its glowing red eyes were each the size of her fist. She felt her heart rate skyrocket as the battle fury that seemed to come over all children of Ares in moments of peril descended.

'Spread out!' She called, hefting her spear in one hand and spinning the stout pole the enemy flag was attached to in the other.

The glowing eyes turned on her, fixing onto the source of the noise. Before she knew it, it had leapt towards her, a mouth the size of a hippo's gaping wide. Clarisse rolled out of the way just in time, landing on the flag pole, which snapped beneath her weight. She lumbered to her feet and found the hound growling and backing away slightly as it was surrounded by her companions, who were darting in to jab at it with their weapons when its head was turned. Clarisse pulled the half of the flag pole with the scrap of cloth attached from the mud and made to join her them, but found her mouth suddenly covered. She jerked her body violently and attempted to bite at the hand.

'I thought you'd do that.' An amused voice purred in her ear. 'It's why I wore gloves.'

* * *

Percy, a pole with a sodden red flag blazoned with a boar's head clutched in his fist, stared at an empty tree stump with consternation.

'Thank Athena!' Annabeth exclaimed, emerging from the trees nearby with a couple of Hermes campers at her back. 'We did it—' She broke off as her gaze turned in the direction of Percy's stare.

'I see you have the opposition's flag, but where is your own?'

Annabeth turned to the approaching centaur, her mouth still slightly open with surprise. A few more campers trickled out of the trees, weapons drawn.

'I don't know.' Annabeth admitted, staring at the place it should have been with annoyance.

'Adam, Ryan, run to the river and—'

'They have it! We're sorry.'

Two out of breath sons of Demeter stumbled into the clearing. They looked pretty bruised and Percy could see that the larger of the two was limping badly.

'What in Hades' name—' Annabeth began before breaking off again as she saw a shape emerge from the shadow of the huge tree stump.

'One flag, blue with owl, one captive, red.' Nico di Angelo announced, releasing the grip he had on his bound prisoner.

Annabeth blinked, before a smile began to emerge as she saw her team's flag safe on their side of the battlefield.

'And the blue team wins.' Chiron announced, before frowning. 'Did I hear a hellhound earlier?'

'Yeah, sorry, that was me.' Nico admitted. 'I needed a distraction to capture this one, so I got one of Cerberus' new puppies to give me a hand. He's safely back in the Underworld now. I don't think anyone got too badly injured.'

Chiron nodded. 'You may release Miss La Rue now.' He told the new arrival, nodding his head in the direction of the captive wrestling against her bonds.

'Oh, sure.'

'You tied me up!' Clarisse roared as as soon as the strip of cloth gagging her had been untied.

'Do we not do that?' Nico asked innocently.

'You're supposed to put them in the prison.' Annabeth informed him, nodding towards a small, roped-off section of grass nearby where a few members of the red team stood looking miserable.

'Doesn't look very secure.' Nico commented, releasing the last of the ropes restraining his captive.

'Why did you tie me up?' Clarisse demanded furiously.

'Because I'm kinky like that.' Nico answered blandly. He backed away slightly as Clarisse flushed and rounded on him like a furious animal.

'The game is over.' Chiron declared firmly as a few campers sniggered at the son of Hades' remark. 'Annabeth will receive the prophecy from the Oracle.'

It gave Percy no small amount of pleasure to watch Clarisse's face go even redder.


	3. A Good Start

_Disclaimer: Don't own any of this etc. No profit being made._

**Author's note: **Sorry it's taken a while to get this one out.

* * *

-Chapter Three-

* * *

'So, who's going with us?' Nico asked. Annabeth didn't think he sounded like he cared.

She frowned.

'Well, Percy, obviously.' She began.

'Obviously.' Nico echoed in a way that made Annabeth uncomfortable. 'And the third?'

The son of Hades was sitting cross-legged on the grass, juggling a couple of daggers between his hands, their blades flashing in the sunlight as they span above his head. Annabeth watched them nervously.

'It's bad luck to take more than three campers on a quest.' She told him, remembering the myriad horror stories that had been told around the camp fire of the gruesome deaths and mysterious disappearances that had occurred when the number of questers had overstepped that invisible line.

Nico looked unimpressed.

'And yet this "Great Prophecy"'—in a remarkable display of coordination he threw his daggers a few feet higher to give himself time for the air quotes before opening his palms again to catch them neatly—'supposedly involves seven of us.'

Annabeth stared back at him, frustrated.

'I don't make the rules.' She insisted. 'I just know they're there for a reason.'

'Then you're a shit daughter of Athena.' Nico replied without looking at her.

Annabeth glared at him, furious.

'I've watched friends _die_ because we broke the rules.' She bit out. 'How dare you just walk in here and insult us, treat us with contempt. You have no _idea _what we go through.'

Nico di Angelo slipped his daggers away silently and turned to her. The sun was high in the sky, and yet his eyes looked black even in the light.

'I apologise for my insensitivity.' He told her, and his voice had lost its slightly mocking edge. 'I would never attempt to denigrate another's suffering. I have the utmost respect for your courage and the sacrifices you've made.' He turned away and stared at the distant strawberry fields, where half a dozen naiads could be spotted moving amongst the rows.

Annabeth, her anger softened by surprise, stared at him.

'But?' She demanded.

Nico didn't look back at her.

'But?' He echoed after a few seconds.

'If you respect us so much, then why do you make fun of us?'

Nico tilted his head, as though considering his response.

'Have you ever asked yourself why demigods die?' He asked eventually.

'Why we die…' Annabeth trailed off. 'Because we're not good enough, or not lucky enough, or we step into danger one too many times. The life of a demigod is short.' She finished sadly.

The shadowed gaze returned to her face.

'Why?'

'Because we spend our lives under attack!' Annabeth exclaimed. 'Maybe you can hide in the Underworld, or whatever, but for most of us Camp Half-Blood is the only place we're halfway safe.' She remembered the war. 'And even then, not always.'

Nico inclined his head.

'The world is against us.' He acknowledged, ignoring her comment about the Underworld. 'The gods fuck mortals. The mortals have children. The children are hunted down by monsters. Some die. Some escape. Some reach Camp Half-Blood.' He smiled bitterly. 'Most don't.'

'Exactly!' Annabeth exclaimed. 'We fight because we have to! It's in our blood. We sacrifice ourselves to protect the world!'

'And why is the world in danger?' Nico asked.

'What do you mean?'

Nico turned to face her square on.

'Demigods fight for the amusement of Olympus.' He told her. 'What are we to the gods but a teaspoon of semen or a few weeks inconvenience with a borrowed mortal womb? The gods create us on a whim, and watch our blood drain into this coliseum they call the mortal world.' His lips twisted. 'And then, occasionally, they get themselves into trouble, and who do they call to save them?' He didn't allow Annabeth to respond. 'Their _beloved_ offspring.' His tone was so scornful it made Annabeth's stomach lurch. 'We wrestle and we fight and we die in the mud for the approval of beings to whom we are nothing more than playthings or servants.'

Annabeth looked at him with dawning horror. There had been another demigod who'd spoken like that. The demigod who'd let Kronos corrupt him, who'd launched the Second Titanomachy.

'You shouldn't say things like that.' She told him eventually, her voice low. 'Shouldn't think like that. It leads down a dangerous path.' She warned.

Nico snorted.

'More dangerous than being hunted night and day? Than almost certainly dying before becoming an adult? All that risk, and no more reward than the chance of a word of approval from an absent parent?'

Annabeth, for once, didn't know quite how to respond, caught aback by the vehemence of the words flung at her. Nico didn't seem to be expecting a reply.

'I wouldn't worry about the three person rule.' He bit out, standing. 'It's the gods' shit we're clearing up, and even they wouldn't be stupid enough to send misfortune in the way of the demigods with the shovels.'

Annabeth watched in silence as he walked off, before glancing nervously at a sky where storm clouds were gathering at an alarming rate.

* * *

Annabel wondered whether the original Oracle of Delphi's cave had had a pair of overstuffed sofas and a flatscreen TV. Probably not, she decided, on balance. She kicked at one of the bones littering the floor. She'd assumed it had come from an animal, but on closer inspection it looked remarkably like a human shin bone.

'Yeah, I don't know who it belonged to either.' Rachel Elizabeth Dare told her as she brushed aside the heavy velvet curtain at the back of the cave and joined her. 'The bones were here when I moved in. They're creepy, sure, but I figured these guys were here before me so it's not really my place to move them if they're happy.'

Annabeth followed Rachel's gesture, and found her eyes fixing on patches of bleached white scattered in the dimness. The cave suddenly felt much colder and less welcoming.

'Yeah, you get used to it.' Rachel told her, flinging herself back onto a massive cushion with rather less grace than one might expect from the Oracle. 'So, I take it you're not here for a chat?'

'Umm, no.' Annabeth agreed, sitting down opposite the other girl. She wasn't sure what to think of her, the human girl who was now the vessel for a three thousand year old spirit, who lived alone in a cave in the middle of a camp full of demigods, and who'd given Percy her number after knowing him for about five seconds. Annabeth tried to focus on the matter at hand.

'I need to find the Roman demigods.' She said. She knew Nico claimed to know where they were, but the Oracle could foresee a journey and its obstacles as well as the destination. She would take whatever warnings she could get about the trials to come. Annabeth steeled herself, remembering the couple of demigods she'd seen as a child driven insane by the prophecies they received. From what she remembered, both of them had died under mysterious circumstances soon after.

Annabeth watched with trepidation as Rachel stilled. The light drained from her eyes as they became nothing but empty windows. She looked away hastily, unable to bear the sight of the ancient nothingness now inhabiting the girl.

'The scions of the tyrannical city of Romulus?' A voice that bore little resemblance to Rachel's asked. It sounded furious, hissing the words.

'Yes, Pythia.' Annabeth answered nervously.

'Why should you desire to find the ones who slaughtered my priestesses?' The Oracle demanded. Annabeth flinched as a claw-like hand grasped her knee.

'T-to fulfil the Great Prophecy.' She stuttered out.

Another hiss, without even a semblance of meaning, issued from the Oracle.

'You…you…' the Oracle choked out the words, 'will take no aid from me.'

Annabeth looked up, shocked. Rachel Elizabeth Dare's body was contorted with pain, curled in on itself and shaking. She reached out nervously, but as soon as her hand touched the other girl's arm she was faced with a stare that made her jerk back with alarm.

'Leave.' The word was little more than a whisper, hissed through gritted teeth. Annabeth hesitated for a moment before jumping to her feet and sprinting in the direction of the Big House.

* * *

'You're making my head hurt.'

Annabeth froze, her hand raised to knock Chiron's office door again. She turned slowly to meet the bleary purple stare.

'I'm sorry, Mr D.' She squeaked, shrinking under his glare. He looked drunk, as usual, and his Hawaiian shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a belly that slumped over the waistband of his shorts. His appearance didn't make him any less terrifying. Annabeth could feel the danger crackling in the air around her.

'What do you want?' He demanded, shaking his ever-present can of diet coke in her direction.

'The… the Oracle.' She stuttered out. 'She's in pain.'

Dionysus narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously for a long moment. Eventually, he raised his free hand and snapped his fingers.

'Bring me the Oracle.' He ordered the pair of naiads who appeared at his side. They nodded and ran off.

Annabeth stood in awkward silence as the god of wine turned away from her and began rapping his knuckles against the railing of the verandah. A few beats later and the naiads returned, depositing the limp form of Rachel Elizabeth Dare on the deck next to him.

Dionysus stared at the new arrival, before grunting with annoyance and tipping the remains of his drink over her face. She spluttered into life, flinching away from the cold liquid. Her eyes widened when they met the figure looming over her.

'What's the matter with you?' The god demanded.

Rachel's confused green eyes faded into the empty pools of the Oracle.

'I will not give them what they seek.' The spirit gasped.

Annabeth stepped back as Dionysus snarled and drew himself to his full height, his disguise draining from his form like wax, sloughed away by the hard immortal edges beneath. The naiads dropped to their knees in supplication.

'You will fulfil your duties.' Dionysus commanded, his voice hanging and vibrating in the air. Annabeth almost fell to her own knees. The Oracle let out a choked cry.

'There… there are things even you cannot draw from me, God of the Festival.' She ground out, every word an effort.

Annabeth clenched her eyes shut as the divine fire kindled beneath Dionysus' skin, dancing in painful patterns even behind her closed lids.

'You dare to defy me?' The question was soft, dangerous.

The Oracle gave no reply that Annabeth could hear.

'Very well.' Dionysus answered the silence.

Annabeth stood, frozen by terror as soft chords began to hum in the air around her, the sound at once impossibly beautiful and unbearably strange. She covered her ears, grinding her palms against them as the chorus swelled and began to hum inside her, like a hive of trapped bees bashing against her skull. There were alien voices in the music, high and wild and vicious. They tore at her, making her feel sick and disorientated. Just as she felt she could bear no more before her head burst from the pressure, the music slackened, echoing and slowly fading. Part of her missed it desperately even as her body shuddered with relief, slumping to the floor.

'If you have nothing to offer, then you are nothing.' Dionysus' words drifted ominously through the haze in her head. Annabeth clenched her eyes tight as the god's form brightened unbearably. She opened them gingerly when at last the light faded.

She sat there for what seemed like an age, staring blankly at the pale, unconscious form in front of her. Dionysus seemed to have taken his naiads with him.

'What's wrong with her?'

Annabeth looked up from the slumped form to find a group of Apollo campers standing in front of her.

'Dionysus.' Was all she could say, still trying not to retch..

'I'll find Will.' One of the campers said, running off as the other two crouched down next to Rachel.

'She's breathing.' The older one announced, holding his fingers to her limp wrist. Annabeth cursed herself for not having checked, but the music was still with her, within her. She gingerly lifted a hand and saw that it was trembling.

'Hey, are you alright?' The Apollo camper who wasn't dealing with Rachel asked her. He looked about twelve, but his eyes were steady as he reached out to take her hand. It slowly stilled in his grasp.

'Annabeth.' She turned her head. 'I need you to talk to me.' Will's voice was gentle but firm as he crouched down next to her, dropping a green backpack with big white cross to the ground.

She nodded mutely.

'Can you tell me what happened?' He asked, unzipping the bag.

'Mr D… he did something.' Annabeth got out. 'The music… it hurt.'

Will frowned, his normally cheerful temperament disappearing as his gaze darted between her and Rachel.

Annabeth drifted in and out of focus as she watched Will try to rouse the other girl. She stirred eventually, and when one of the Apollo campers propped her up Annabeth could see that a little colour had returned to her face.

'How do you feel?' Will asked her gently.

'Sick.' Rachel managed to mutter, before jerking violently and vomiting onto the deck. The nearest Apollo camper jerked back hastily, but Will merely pulled a plastic cup of water from somewhere.

'She's… she's in pain.' Rachel muttered, shaking her head and pushing away the drink.

'Who?" Will asked, frowning with confusion.

'The Oracle.' Annabeth guessed before Rachel could respond.

Will looked at her with consternation, no doubt wondering which part of his medical training was relevant to dealing with the wounds of an immortal spirit inhabiting the body of teenager. He muttered quietly to himself as he ran his hands carefully over Rachel's limbs, as though trying to find a physical injury he knew how to treat.

Annabeth heard a commotion in the distance, and winced as she looked up to find Chiron approaching the Big House with a figure who shone like the sun at his side.

'Dad!' One of the Apollo campers exclaimed, grinning and squinting. His expression faded as Apollo came closer and the light flooding from his body became ever-more intense. Annabeth closed her eyes and covered them with her hands, but she could still sense the radiance against her skin, scouring her body.

'Step back.' Annabeth couldn't remember Apollo's voice ever having sounded so hard. She stumbled back hastily with the other demigods, leaving the god's incandescent form alone beside his priestess.

'What has he done to you, my child?'

Annabeth winced at the sorrow in his voice, squinting mutely as the god of the sun knelt and cradled the Oracle. No-one spoke for what seemed like an age. Chiron stood with a frown, taking in the scene.

'You will rest now.' Apollo's words were soft, final.

Annabeth's heart heaved in her chest as she watched Rachel Elizabeth Dare slump in his arms, her head lolling. She jerked to her feet, reaching out to touch the girl she'd barely known. Apollo had lifted her beyond her reach, however.

Annabeth swallowed as he turned his shadowed gaze on her.

'You will have your prophecy, when I return.'

Annabeth couldn't look away from his impossibly blue eyes as the flesh surrounding them melted into nothing. It wasn't until long after Apollo had vanished that she could turn her attention to the huge throng of campers now gathered on the grass in front of the Big House.

* * *

'She's dead?'

Percy looked almost confused. Annabeth didn't know whether she wanted to comfort him or shout at him, curse him for his obliviousness.

'I think so.' She said eventually, trying to calm down. 'I think Apollo killed her.'

Percy frowned at her.

'Are you ok?' He asked slowly, dropping his sword onto the Arena's sand and approaching her carefully.

'Of course I'm ok!' She burst out, shoving away the hand he was reaching out to comfort her. Percy didn't look convinced. She was suddenly annoyed that he didn't seem to believe her, that after all they'd been through together he thought it was more likely she'd gone insane than what she was telling him was true.

'She's dead, Percy.' She told him. She bit out the words to hold herself in check. 'The Oracle refused to give me the prophecy. Dionysus did… something to her. Then Apollo came and… and I think he killed her.'

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Annabeth found the son of Hades, sat against the trunk of one the trees at the edge of the forest, watching the campers mourn around the evening's fire with an expressionless face.

'You can say it.'

Nico turned to her with a small frown.

'I told you so.' She said.

He smiled slightly.

'I could.' He acknowledged. 'But it seems a bit cruel to use the convenient death of someone you knew as an object lesson for my bitterness.'

'I suppose.' She admitted, smiling fractionally herself. 'What—' she hesitated, but Nico nodded her on, 'what made you so full of…' she trailed off.

'Hatred?' He suggested calmly.

Annabeth almost flinched at the strength of the word, glancing nervously in the direction of Manhattan.

Nico shrugged.

'My estranged father. My murdered mother. My sister, slaughtered and dipped into the Lethe, reborn fuck knows where and to fuck knows who. Take your pick.'

Annabeth stared at him, at a loss.

'Don't worry.' Nico told her. 'You don't need to say anything, do anything. You asked a question. I gave you an answer.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.' Came the curt reply. 'I don't want to convert you. I don't want to lead a crusade against Olympus.' His lips twisted. 'It wouldn't end well.'

_It didn't for Luke. _Annabeth added unconsciously, her thoughts drawn inexorably to the boy she'd spent years thinking she was in love with, until he betrayed them all.

'You know where the Roman demigods are?' She asked him eventually, shaking herself free from her thoughts.

'Yeah. They've got a camp somewhere near San Francisco.' He told her. 'We can be there tomorrow afternoon if we leave fairly early.'

Annabeth didn't think it was the moment to tell him that the camp budget didn't stretch to coast-to-coast plane tickets, let alone what Zeus would probably do to them if he found three alien demigods flying blithely through his domain.

* * *

'Are you kidding me?'

Leo sounded excited. Annabeth wanted to glare at him, but couldn't help it when her eyes strayed to the jet sat on the tarmac a couple of hundred yards away from where they were standing in the private terminal.

'Nope.' Nico answered, grinning at the younger boy Percy had, for some reason, insisted accompany them on the quest.

'Awesome!'

Leo's enthusiasm was hard to resist, as was the jet, but Annabeth knew she had to put a stop to the whole plan before it ended up in a literal fireball. When Nico's creepy zombie chauffeur had turned up an hour ago at camp she'd been relieved, thinking they wouldn't have to spend the precious dollars she'd been given on bus tickets, and that Nico had given up on air travel. Whilst the money situation had been resolved by Nico's apparently bottomless credit card, she'd begun to realise as Jules-Albert began following the signs to JFK that the travel situation was spiralling out of her control. Annabeth had done her best as the French zombie drove through apparently restricted bits of the airport with shocking ease. She'd told Nico there was no way she was putting hundreds of strangers' lives in mortal danger just so they could reach the west coast a bit more quickly. He'd merely smiled and told her everything would be fine.

Surprisingly, it was Percy who spoke before Annabeth had managed to formulate her objections.

'Er, Nico, I'm not sure this is a great idea.' He said. Annabeth thought he looked a bit nervous.

'No!' She agreed immediately. 'We can't fly. Even if it's just us on the plane' She told Nico sternly. 'Zeus wouldn't like it. If your driver can't take us all the way, then I've got some money and we can probably get some bus tickets somewhere in the other terminal.'

Nico blinked at her.

'Umm, well, Jules-Albert will drive you, sure. But surely Zeus wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything to the demigods off to save his arse?' He shrugged. 'There'll be loads more monsters on the ground. Even Zephyrus' children won't bother us at forty thousand feet. I'm gonna risk the plane.'

Annabeth could feel a headache coming on. She was supposed to be leading the quest, damn it, and less than two hours after they'd left camp she had one of her quest mates ready to abandon her. Judging by Leo's expression, she was at risk of losing two.

She stood there, thinking desperately. Leo was off looking at the complimentary buffet in the corner. She glanced at Percy. He didn't offer any help.

'Fine. We'll fly.' She decided, grabbing her rucksack and swinging it over one shoulder. 'I'll haunt you in the Underworld if we die.' She warned Nico.

He smiled, apparently happy to have got his way.

'Sure.' He agreed. 'Leo! There's food on the plane!'

The son of Hephaestus turned and grinned, hurrying over.

'We're flying then?'

'Yeah.'

Annabeth had a bad feeling, but Leo's excitement was palpable and she couldn't stop herself smiling a bit.

'You ok, Percy?' Nico asked.

Annabeth turned to find her friend looking about as pale as she'd ever seen him.

'Seaweed Brain?' She prodded cautiously.

Percy ran his hand nervously through his hair.

'Umm, yeah, it's just, well, I'm not that great with heights.' He admitted reluctantly, blushing slightly at the admission.

'I suppose that kind of makes sense.' Nico said, frowning. 'But I should be even more scared, what with my dad literally being the god of underground shit, and I love flying.'

'Flying's so cool!' Leo interjected helpfully. 'I've only been in an airplane once, but it was awesome.'

Percy smiled weakly, before swallowing and shouldering his own backpack.

'Umm, right, let's go then.'

* * *

'Is this Hades' plane?' Leo asked curiously as they did up their seatbelts. Nico watched with amusement as Percy ratcheted his as tight as it would go.

He snorted slightly at the question.

'What would my dad do with a plane? We might be ok, but I'm not sure Zeus would like his brother flying around collecting souls on a Gulfstream.'

'I thought Thanatos did that?' Annabeth questioned, wondering whether she'd made a mistake with her mythology.

'Yeah, he does. Dad basically subcontracts out all his duties. Lazy bastard.' Nico said affectionately. 'Still complains about being overworked.'

Annabeth had flinched instinctively at the insult, and couldn't help but wonder how Nico got away with his heresy. The guy in question shrugged.

'He doesn't really care what I say.' The smile he gave was slightly bitter. 'He hears worse every day.'

Annabeth wasn't sure what to make of that, but was saved from having to respond as the jet's engines spooled and Percy's knuckles went white clenching the arms of his seat.

* * *

'You can undo your seatbelt if you want, Percy.'

The son of Poseidon shook his head vigorously. Annabeth wasn't sure whether to laugh or try to help him. They'd been in the air for more than an hour without any trouble, and she'd just about managed to stop looking out of the windows every few seconds. Leo was making a nuisance of himself asking the pilots about how various things worked. Nico was sprawled out on the sofa in the luxuriously appointed cabin, apparently asleep. She sank her head back into the soft leather of her seat, deciding reluctantly that this was definitely the future of questing.

Annabeth smiled encouragingly at Percy and raised her book. A few minutes later she dropped it to one side, completely unable to concentrate on the usually riveting subject of the golden ratio.

'What will happen when we get there?' She wondered aloud.

'You mean, like, where these Roman guys live?' Percy asked through gritted teeth.

'Yes. I mean, what if they see us as their enemy? There must be a reason the gods have kept us apart for so long. What if they don't know about the Great Prophecy?'

'We have to get off this thing first.' Percy replied, clenching his eyes shut as the plane wobbled slightly. 'I'll fight as many Romans as you want when we land.'

'We don't want to fight them.' Annabeth told him sternly. 'We need their help.'

'What if they don't want you to lead the quest?' Percy asked.

Annabeth hadn't considered that. Technically, she'd only been given the responsibility of finding the Romans. Whatever happened after that… well, it hadn't really been discussed.

'I don't—'

'The captain says we need to put on our seatbelts.' Leo interrupted her suddenly, having appeared from the cockpit. Annabeth automatically did hers up as Leo took the seat next to her and Percy tightened his further than she'd thought possible.

'What's the problem?' She asked Leo, waiting for any signs of turbulence.

'There's a storm coming.' The younger boy answered, looking excited. 'I could see the lighting!'

Percy swallowed audibly.

'It's not natural.'

Annabeth looked over to Nico. The other boy was wide awake now, and he'd made no move to reach for his seatbelt.

'What do you mean?' She asked, feeling her nerves return in full force.

'It's Zeus, I think.' Nico said, frowning and standing up. He made his way to the front of the cabin and stuck his head through the cockpit door. Annabeth heard the murmur of voices, but couldn't make out the words.

'Definitely Zeus.' Nico confirmed when he returned, looking grim. 'The pilots say it's like the storm's following us, or disappearing and reappearing in front of us. The weather radar's fucked, apparently.'

'So what do we do?' Percy demanded. He was trying to sound firm, but he squared at the end as the plane rocked a bit.

'Can we land?' Annabeth asked, forcing herself to stay calm as the plane continued to wallow uneasily.

Nico shook his head.

'Nowhere nearby.' He told her, grabbing the back of the seat next to him to hold himself steady as the plane bumped suddenly, the cabin creaking ominously around them.

'Are we going to crash?'

Percy's face was as pale as she'd ever seen it. It was the question that had been hovering behind her lips, too.

'I don't know.' Nico admitted, barely keeping to his feet as the plane heaved violently to one side. 'I didn't expect this.' He seemed almost angry.

'We're going to die?' Leo's excitement had disappeared. He sounded young and scared as his thin frame shrunk into his deeply-cushioned seat.

'No!' Annabeth exclaimed. It was weird that all she could think of was her quest, HER quest, the first quest she'd ever been chosen to lead. It was about to end in failure without ever having really started. It didn't matter that it was all Nico's fault; she'd been the leader and she'd given in to his stupid idea.

'Fuck!' Percy's yelp came as a brilliant flash burst through the windows on one side of the cabin.

For the first time, Annabeth felt fear overwhelm her. She could feel the beat of her heart in her neck, the flush of heat on her skin, and yet the laser focus that was supposed to fall over demigods in moments like this was failing to appear. She felt helpless. There was no riddle to solve here, nothing for Percy to stab.

'Undo your belts.'

Nico's voice cut through her panic. He knelt next to Percy, who looked almost paralysed, and began to unbuckle him.

'What are you doing?' Annabeth demanded. Her voice sounded slightly shrill to her ears. 'You got us into this mess!'

Nico stood, pulling Percy's muscular form up with him.

'Yes.' He bit out, facing her. 'I fucked up, but you're gonna have to trust me again.'

Annabeth stared at him. She had no clue what made her scrabble for her own belt, sweating as the plane tilted alarmingly and the cabin lights flickered. She freed herself and looked up to find her three quest mates in what seemed to be the world's weirdest conga line. A semi-comatose Percy was being held up by Nico's arms around his chest, whilst Leo stood behind the son of Hades, clutching his waist like a baby monkey clinging to its mother.

'Put your arms around me.' Nico told her, steadying himself.

'What?'

'Now.'

Annabeth moved.

'Whatever you do—' Nico broke off as the plane shuddered around them. Annabeth could hear the shouts of the pilots through the cockpit door. 'Don't let go.'

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed, but if not, constructive criticism also welcome.**


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